Bournemouth is the UK’s most popular seaside town, and it is not hard to see why. Perched on the beautiful Dorset coast, it combines endless golden sands, charming Victorian architecture and panoramic ocean views from its award-winning gardens. Lucky enough to get warmer weather than most other parts of the UK, Bournemouth is the perfect spot for a coastal retreat. If seven miles of beaches and countless Blue Flag awards are not enough for you, it is easy to reach the breathtaking landmarks and unspoilt nature reserves of the Jurassic coast too. The town’s busy schedule of events, music and theatre also offers entertainment for every taste, meaning you would not be left wondering what to do in Bournemouth. With the lively party scene of the Triangle and hundreds of restaurants, clubs and bars to choose from, you’re sure to experience the vibrant nightlife of the south coast.

1. What makes Bournemouth unique?
2. Bournemouth's popular attractions
3. Nightlife in Bournemouth
4. Sports in Bournemouth
5. Restaurants in Bournemouth
6. Shopping in Bournemouth
7. Bournemouth living costs
8. Travel in and around Bournemouth
9. Explore the UK from Bournemouth

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1. What makes Bournemouth unique?

Whatever the weather and whatever your age, you will find plenty of things to see and do in Bournemouth. With breathtaking scenery all along the coastline, wide expanses of golden sands and nature reserves packed with wildlife, do not miss out on the chance to get active in the great outdoors. Or stay in town and entertain the family with many rain-friendly attractions, including the Oceanarium, activity centres and more.

Did you know Bournemouth has some of the warmest sea temperatures in England? Including four Blue Flag beaches, its seven miles of coast hold some of the best England has to offer.

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2. Bournemouth's popular attractions

Bournemouth is full of fun things to do and unique places to visit. Despite being just a town, within this wonderful place are numerous spots you can not miss, including:

• Bournemouth Beach. The undeniable main draw in any season, Bournemouth Beach is often touted as best in the country.
• Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum. A sublime Art Nouveau villa built at the turn of the 20th century for Merton Russell-Cotes, the owner of the Royal Bath Hotel.
• Lower Gardens. A gorgeous park that is at the bottom of a three-kilometre string of green spaces on the course of the Bourne.
• Westbourne. An upmarket shopping and dining area, known as “The Village”.
• Hengistbury Head Beach. Six miles east of Bournemouth town centre is Hengistbury Head, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
• Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre. In a thatched building, the centre has interactive exhibitions devoted to the area’s geology, ecology and archaeology.
• Oceanarium. This aquarium on Bournemouth’s seafront recreates ten different marine and river environments around the world.
• West Cliff Lift. A funicular railway carrying 12 passengers at a time up and down the cliff west of Bournemouth Pier since 1908.
• Bournemouth Pier. Integral to Bournemouth for nearly 140 years, the 305-metre Bournemouth Pier (1880) is still the centre of attention in the summer.
• Boscombe Chine Gardens. A delightful Victorian Chine garden that has been regenerated since the 2000s.
• Shelley Theatre. This 160-seat theatre was built for Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein and husband of Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the great Romantic poets.
• St. Peter’s Church. The 62-metre spire of this graceful Gothic Revival church is a landmark for Bournemouth.

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3. Nightlife in Bournemouth

Bournemouth offers plenty of options for your late-night antics, with craft ales, spectacular cocktails and a great music soundtrack to dance the night away. One Cocktail Bar is the top bar in Bournemouth, perfect for a cosy catch-up or for boogying the night away. The layout of booths and bar stools offers a friendly atmosphere. In a handy location at the edge of Bournemouth Square, you will definitely be served with friendly staff and will experience great music throughout the night.

If wine and cheese sound like the perfect recipe for your great night, head to Renoufs Cheese and Wine Bar. You will stay here for long if you attempt to get through the whole drinks menu with over 200 amazing wines, plus a selection of gins and beer options. Huge platters and nibbling dishes are perfect to pair with your wine, each with a cheese and charcuterie selection, chutneys, hummus, pâtés and more.

If you are looking for somewhere with bags of character and an impressive selection of ales, ciders and meads, Paul the landlord will welcome you with open arms to The Firkin Shed micropub. A hidden gem within the Boscombe suburb of Bournemouth, it is always packed with locals and is one of those places where you will end up chatting with everyone.

Visit the experts at Brewhouse & Kitchen for their craft beers made at their on-site microbrewery, great selection of food and cosy atmosphere. Beer is used in many of their recipes and there is a recommended pint to pair with every single item on the menu. Join their head brewer for an experience day if you are interested in the process, or just sit back and enjoy the results whatever the weather, by the cosy fire or in the beer garden complete with beach huts.

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4. Sports in Bournemouth

Football fans would not want to miss a trip to Vitality Stadium, where FC Bournemouth has risen through the ranks of English football, earning their current spot in the Premier League.

Bournemouth Rugby Club is a rugby union side who have been going strong since 1893, currently competing in the National League 3 South West since they were pipped from League 2 in 2014. Their home is at Bournemouth Sports Club.

Other state-of-the-art facilities open to the public include:

• The Junction Sports & Leisure Centre
• BH Live Active, Littledown
• Everyone Active Leisure Centre

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5. Restaurants in Bournemouth

The town offers an amazing selection of independent and family-run eateries, bringing together authentic Spanish tapas, wood-fired pizzas, tender beef bourguignon, and comforting moussaka – all within easy reach of the seafront and town centre.

Start the list with the best spot in town for tapas and churros, all washed down with plenty of sangria: Lola’s Tapas Restaurant on Commercial Road offers genuine food in an authentic interior. Transport yourself to the Barcelona Ramblas with its rustic interior of deep red, wooden furniture and plenty of colourful cushions, enjoy the country’s classics, including giant garlic prawns and Spanish black pudding, often with live music to add to the atmosphere.

If it is Italian that you are looking for, El Murrino is the perfect family-friendly spot for your pizza and pasta classics, as well as regional dishes. It is completed with a 450-degree wood-fired oven, which cooks pizzas perfectly in just 90 seconds. The kids will be pleased with the unique Vespa seats in this vibrant restaurant on Old Christchurch Road,which is home to plenty of bars and restaurants.

Just around the corner, you will also find Chez Fred, the fish and chips specialists who have proved their worth if the constantly-buzzing restaurant is anything to go by. You can not visit the English seaside without enjoying the classic fish, chips and mushy peas combo, they even offer unlimited chips and there are no greasy windows or congealed mushy peas in sight. If instead you fancy fine dining with very reasonable prices, check out the ever-popular Cliff Top Restaurant. They offer à la carte as well as a great Sunday roast, with an outdoor terrace to enjoy if the sun makes an appearance.

To round up the list of Bournemouth’s best restaurants, you can not forget Miri’s Restaurant, offering a menu jam-packed with dishes from across Britain, France and Central Europe. From schnitzel to slow-roasted shanks, curried king prawns to crispy cubes of belly pork, there is something for everyone. If you are spoilt for choice, the beef bourguignon is very tender and comes highly recommended.

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6. Shopping in Bournemouth

There are plenty of options for retail therapy if you are looking to do some shopping in Bournemouth. A large part of the town centre itself is pedestrianised, with a mixture of famous retail brands, department stores, independent boutiques, and plenty of food and drink options. Bournemouth’s suburbs of Westbourne, Southbourne and Boscombe offer plenty of boutiques, high street shops and a great selection of independent cafés. Not really to mention the spacious shopping destinations of Castlepoint shopping park and Sovereign Shopping Centre.

Castlepoint is the largest shopping park in the country and is sure to give you plenty to choose from, with over 40 shops, restaurants and cafés and a large area of 3,000 free parking spaces. Shopping options include spacious stores including Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Asda, as well as plenty of popular high street brands including Topshop, TK Maxx, Waterstones and many more. Rest your weary feet and enjoy a brew or light bite and one of the three coffee shops, or head to Nando’s or Frankie and Benny’s with food to please the whole family.

If the weather is a bit nippy and you would rather stay indoors, pay a visit to the Sovereign Shopping Centre at the heart of Boscombe. It is conveniently connected to the town’s main car park and has many more shopping options nearby. Apart from 54 shops, cafés and coffee shops, the shopping centre houses the perfect jumble of high street names and independent boutiques, plus a Lidl store. Both Café Boscanova and the English Rose Café are great independents nearby that are worth a visit.

A central shopping location which must not be missed is Bournemouth Arcade, which offers sheltered shopping with premium retailers underneath a picturesque Victorian roof. It presents a variety of shops and pretty displays for window shoppers to enjoy, especially at Christmas. High street names are Waterstones, L’Occitane, Ernest Jones and White Stuff, as well as independent jewellers.

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7. Bournemouth living costs

Budget guide:

• One-way ticket (Local transport): £2.30
• Meal out: £10.00
• Fast food (McDonald’s): £5.00
• Gasoline (1 litre): £1.25
• Cinema ticket: £10.00
• Taxi (normal tariff): £3.00

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8. Travel in and around Bournemouth

Visit Bournemouth, a town with beautiful beaches and a lively cultural scene, which also offers a great base to explore the Dorset countryside and stunning coastline.

Public transport

The town centre is pretty compact and there are regular bus services if you would like to explore a little further during your stay. You can also visit local areas, such as the New Forest and Stonehenge, all possible by local transport services. National Express coach journeys to/ from London Victoria run up to 21 times a day from just a few pounds, so it is easy to swap the big smoke for a weekend of sea breeze.

There are easy bus links to get you anywhere you would like. With regular routes to Poole and Christchurch too, it can be a handy saver to get a day ticket for unlimited travel on most services across all three towns.

By train

Bournemouth Railway Station offers a speedy service to London Waterloo in as little as 97 minutes, as well as other connections along the south coast. CrossCountry services from Manchester run all the way to Bournemouth and there are trains from many destinations all over the UK, from Newcastle to Nottingham. There are more frequent connections and a busier timetable if you travel during the summer months.

Airport transfers

Bournemouth has its very own airport, connecting the town directly with various national and international destinations, both long and short haul. Yellow Buses (B1) will drop you directly at Bournemouth Airport from the town centre. It is as easy as anything to reach both London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports too.

More options for international travel are the continental ferry routes, with the ferry port of Poole just six miles away, as well as Southampton and Portsmouth within easy reach. There is a fast ferry from Poole and Portsmouth if you would like to take a trip to the Channel Islands or the French ports of St. Malo and Cherbourg.

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9. Explore the UK from Bournemouth

Bournemouth is an ideal base for you to start exploring neighbouring cities, towns, and the rest of the UK.

Southampton

Southampton is the cruise capital of Northern Europe. With a cosmopolitan atmosphere borne from centuries of international trade, Southampton is one of the UK’s leading ports and liveliest cities, combining medieval walls and buildings, modern shopping and entertainment complexes, marinas, culture and nightlife. Here, you can also explore the city’s rich culture and long history and try the wide range of leisure activities in the surrounding countryside before relaxing to recount the day in one of Southampton’s many harbour-side restaurants, cafés and bars.

Dorset

In England’s West Country, Dorset is a rural place without a single city. But what it does have is the most romantic countryside and heroic coastal landscapes that make up the UNESCO-listed Jurassic Coast. Wherever you go there is always something memorable to see close by. On the sea are atmospheric ports, perfect sandy beaches, massive cliffs and natural wonders like Durdle Door. You are in England’s fossil-hunting capital here, where exciting finds are guaranteed with a little patience. And strewn across the interior are castles, abbeys and stately homes, many of which you may already have seen on TV or in movies.

Poole

On the second largest natural harbour in the world, Poole is a port town and tourist resort with beaches, cultured gardens and lots of inspiration for days out. In the 1700s Poole was one of England’s most active ports, then played a part in the D-Day landings in 1944 and maintains a cross-Channel ferry terminal today. Shielded from the sea, Poole Harbour is a watersports heaven, whether you are harnessing the wind, paddling or using a motor. Much of the harbour is bounded by nature reserves, protecting sandy coast and vital habitats for birds and deer.